On Saturday morning the lifeless body of Jetta, a black Labrador retriever, was found on the side of the road near Chelsea, Oklahoma. Sometime on Friday night, her rear legs were bound with bailing wire and she was dragged behind a vehicle for just over a mile.
She had also been shot, but it is unclear whether she was shot before or after being dragged.
Jetta leaves behind a new litter of nine 4-week-old puppies that have not yet been weaned.
Melony Patton, Jetta’s owner, described finding her dog’s body. “Her legs were still tied up, the bones were through her skin, her flesh was shredded, her skin was actually on the asphalt, stuck to the asphalt, her fur and everything.”
Rogers County Sherriff Scott Walton said that Jetta’s body left a trail of flesh and fur along the road. “You just have to believe and stay focused on the fact that this is the work of a sick mind, that some thug would do this to an animal,” Walton said.
Patton’s fear goes even deeper. “If they’re gonna do this to a pet, what are they gonna do to a child? Or what are they gonna do to another adult? If they’re this cruel, I mean, they’re cruel to do anything.”
Wild Heart Ranch, a local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization, is helping to raise a reward to catch Jetta’s killer. Since learning of the heinous crime, they have collected $5,000.
On Sunday, after learning of Jetta’s death, University of Oklahoma’s former head coach Barry Switzer matched the reward, bringing it to $10,000.
Patton is having a difficult time helping her two small children understand why the puppies Jetta leaves behind don’t have a mom anymore. When asked about Jetta, Patton’s 4-year-old daughter said, “She went to heaven.”
The family plans to keep one of Jetta’s puppies and to find loving homes for the rest.
The animal cruelty statutes in Oklahoma state that an individual found to have maliciously tortured, destroyed or killed an animal will be found guilty of a felony.
Individuals with any information regarding Jetta’s death are urged to contact the Roger’s County Sherriff’s Office anonymous crime tip hot line at 918-341-3620.
